I saw Madeleine McCann playing outside Costa del Sol beach restaurantMAY 3, 2012 • • EXPAT PENSIONER ROSE JOHNSON (BELOW) BELIEVES SHE SAW AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MADDIE (INSET - AS SHE MIGHT LOOK TODAY) PLAYING OUTSIDE MERENDERO RESTAURANT ON PENONCILLO BEACH (BOTTOM) BETWEEN NERJA AND TORROX LAST SUMMEREXCLUSIVE by Eloise HorsfieldA BRITISH expat has come forward believing to have seen Maddie McCann in Nerja – exactly five years since her disappearance.Rose Johnson, 70, reckons she saw the missing girl playing on Penoncillo beach – between Torrox and Nerja – last summer.The Frigiliana-based pensioner hopes her sighting will help Portuguese police who sensationally sent a request to their Spanish counterparts to investigate other sightings in Nerja just a fortnight ago.The former cleaner, who has lived in the area for a decade, has spoken out after reading an article in the Olive Press, last issue.She revealed how she had made the sighting while eating at Merendero restaurant with her partner in August last year.“We were quite taken aback when we saw this Maddie look-a-like walk off the beach and join a table of what we could only describe as a party of Spanish people or similar,” said Johnson.“They were completely different to her. The whole family was dark skinned, whereas she had fair hair and pale skin and obviously was northern European.“It was very, very strange. She was about eight and seemed really airy-fairy, and in a world of her own.“She hardly spent any time with the family and didn’t sit with the people she was with at all.”Johnson later saw something equally startling.“As we crossed the road to our car, just up the road was a dark blue or grey car, a people carrier or similar – possibly a Citroen Picasso or Renault Scenic – with a Portuguese number plate,” said Johnson, originally from Buckinghamshire.“We, like a lot of people, and especially her parents, want her found and any information we can give we would like to think it could help.”Regretting that she did not take a picture with her mobile phone, she added: “We hope people don’t think we are jumping on the bandwagon, looking for publicity. This is simply about Maddie and trying to find her.”Her sighting is remarkably similar to another Olive Press reader Yvonne Tunnicliffe who insisted she was ‘100 per cent sure’ she saw Maddie while out on a shopping trip in Alhaurin two years ago.She described seeing a blonde girl who looked just like her dad Gerry McCann with a man, who appeared to be ‘a gypsy’, in 2009.It has been confirmed that Spain’s Specialist and Violent Crime Unit (UDEV) is investigating the Nerja connection.Last night, the Olive Press passed over Rose Johnson’s contact details to police to help in their search.Meanwhile Portuguese police have refused to reopen the case after British police revealed there were 195 new leads, despite Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood saying he ‘genuinely’ believes she could be alive.In addition, a former senior Met officer has said Maddie was ‘most likely abducted by a couple’ who ‘wanted her as part of a family’.Having spent a week on the Algarve, Ian Horrocks, is convinced a paedophile would have found many easier places to snatch a child.He also believes the original investigation was flawed because police were looking for a dead person and got it into their minds that the parents were to blame.Meanwhile the Met Police have issued a photofit of how Maddie might look today.

But then read the Comments, which include this one from Jon himself

Jon Clarke (Publisher) says:May 3, 2012 at 8:52 amHi karen, we would love to talk to you about this…we have now had at least half a dozen very good ‘sightings’ of maddie on the costa del sol…I really hope somebody can produce the killer fact!Give our newsdesk a call on 951166060Jon

So they have handed over the contact details, but don't have the contact details.That is about par for the course I think.

Is this a different sighting at the same beach last summer, the womans name is different but the story sounds the same.

Meanwhile the Olive Press is investigating a possible sighting by an expat who claims she saw a blonde girl who could have been Maddie on Penoncillo Beach between Nerja and Torrox last summer.Rosalie Bray said she was ‘taken aback’ when the young girl, around eight years old, joined a party of Hispanic-looking adults – and later saw a people carrier with a Portuguese number plate parked nearby.“It had quite an impact on us,” she said. “The girl definitely wasn’t Spanish.”

Is this a different sighting at the same beach last summer, the womans name is different but the story sounds the same.

Meanwhile the Olive Press is investigating a possible sighting by an expat who claims she saw a blonde girl who could have been Maddie on Penoncillo Beach between Nerja and Torrox last summer.Rosalie Bray said she was ‘taken aback’ when the young girl, around eight years old, joined a party of Hispanic-looking adults – and later saw a people carrier with a Portuguese number plate parked nearby.“It had quite an impact on us,” she said. “The girl definitely wasn’t Spanish.”

Good spot! Same location for sure. Rosalie Bray / Rosa Johnson. I suppose she may have used the shorter version of her christian name the first time round and subsequently either married or divorced.

That or someone's having a laugh....

Either way, after reading the article I kinda found my jaw had dropped and I had entered some kind of fugue state. I think I'll be okay.

Is this a different sighting at the same beach last summer, the womans name is different but the story sounds the same.

Meanwhile the Olive Press is investigating a possible sighting by an expat who claims she saw a blonde girl who could have been Maddie on Penoncillo Beach between Nerja and Torrox last summer.Rosalie Bray said she was ‘taken aback’ when the young girl, around eight years old, joined a party of Hispanic-looking adults – and later saw a people carrier with a Portuguese number plate parked nearby.“It had quite an impact on us,” she said. “The girl definitely wasn’t Spanish.”

Good spot! Same location for sure. Rosalie Bray / Rosa Johnson. I suppose she may have used the shorter version of her christian name the first time round and subsequently either married or divorced.That or someone's having a laugh....Either way, after reading the article I kinda found my jaw had dropped and I had entered some kind of fugue state. I think I'll be okay.

Very good spot indeed, and also well done for copying it. WHY ?

Because Olive Press has now gone back to the 25th April article and changed the name from Rosalie Bray to Rose Johnson.

They haven't changed it in my comment, but I suspect they may still do so.

(Incidentally I have apologised in the comments for the mistake I made, in my haste, Jon was trying to get a commentator to contact him, not the original Bray or Johnson. I have also asked them why they have changed the name, so I doubt if my comment will see the light of day. Thanks for drawing this to my attention.

It may save the good people of Spain and the good people visiting Spain a good deal of time.

quote:

Tragic / brave / heart-broken* parents Kate and Gerry McCann were boosted last night after reports that an 18 year old student / 29 year old holidaymaker / 47 year old ex-pat* is convinced they saw missing / abducted / kidnapped* Madeleine™ in Malaga / Marrakesh / Mombassa* last week / last month / last year*.

"It was definitely her" said the student / holidaymaker / ex-pat* tearfully last night. "She was with a foreign / swarthy / gypsy* man who was smartly dressed / scruffily dressed / dressed like a foreigner* and they just didn't look right together. I immediately recognised her from the picture on front of the book, which is available in all good bookshops, and soon out in paperback."

The student / holidaymaker / ex-pat* was so shocked at the sighting that they literally trembled and reported it to a Sun journalist / local free paper / late-night radio phone-in* as soon as they had finished their shopping / climbed Everest / visited the International Space Station*.

Official spokesthing Clarence Mitchell told us "Naturally Kate and Gerry are delighted by this news as it gives them hope that people will continue to fund their search."

@jd wrote:Its funny how all the sighters' never go to the police or report their sightings straight away....Its always weeks/months/years later

Perhaps they do, the police check it out, realise its garbage and send them on their way. Feeling miffed the have a word with Clarrie who adds them to list of pretendy sightings to wheel out on the next anniversary/book launch/hide bad news day *

@jd wrote:Its funny how all the sighters' never go to the police or report their sightings straight away....Its always weeks/months/years later

Dont you know its because the PJ ignored them? None of them took a photo either, or in this case take the number plate down of that big blue car with PT plates on.

Ross's post is excellent. It shows how totally ludicrous the stories are. Especially because she is the most famous missing child in the world and especially everyone in that part of the world might recognise her, who would risk taking her out to the beach, the local supermarket etc. Who benefits?

I saw Madeleine McCann playing outside Costa del Sol beach restaurantMAY 3, 2012 • • EXPAT PENSIONER ROSE JOHNSON (BELOW) BELIEVES SHE SAW AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MADDIE (INSET - AS SHE MIGHT LOOK TODAY) PLAYING OUTSIDE MERENDERO RESTAURANT ON PENONCILLO BEACH (BOTTOM) BETWEEN NERJA AND TORROX LAST SUMMEREXCLUSIVE by Eloise HorsfieldA BRITISH expat has come forward believing to have seen Maddie McCann in Nerja – exactly five years since her disappearance.Rose Johnson, 70, reckons she saw the missing girl playing on Penoncillo beach – between Torrox and Nerja – last summer.The Frigiliana-based pensioner hopes her sighting will help Portuguese police who sensationally sent a request to their Spanish counterparts to investigate other sightings in Nerja just a fortnight ago.The former cleaner, who has lived in the area for a decade, has spoken out after reading an article in the Olive Press, last issue.She revealed how she had made the sighting while eating at Merendero restaurant with her partner in August last year.“We were quite taken aback when we saw this Maddie look-a-like walk off the beach and join a table of what we could only describe as a party of Spanish people or similar,” said Johnson.“They were completely different to her. The whole family was dark skinned, whereas she had fair hair and pale skin and obviously was northern European.“It was very, very strange. She was about eight and seemed really airy-fairy, and in a world of her own.“She hardly spent any time with the family and didn’t sit with the people she was with at all.”Johnson later saw something equally startling.“As we crossed the road to our car, just up the road was a dark blue or grey car, a people carrier or similar – possibly a Citroen Picasso or Renault Scenic – with a Portuguese number plate,” said Johnson, originally from Buckinghamshire.“We, like a lot of people, and especially her parents, want her found and any information we can give we would like to think it could help.”Regretting that she did not take a picture with her mobile phone, she added: “We hope people don’t think we are jumping on the bandwagon, looking for publicity. This is simply about Maddie and trying to find her.”Her sighting is remarkably similar to another Olive Press reader Yvonne Tunnicliffe who insisted she was ‘100 per cent sure’ she saw Maddie while out on a shopping trip in Alhaurin two years ago.She described seeing a blonde girl who looked just like her dad Gerry McCann with a man, who appeared to be ‘a gypsy’, in 2009.It has been confirmed that Spain’s Specialist and Violent Crime Unit (UDEV) is investigating the Nerja connection.Last night, the Olive Press passed over Rose Johnson’s contact details to police to help in their search.Meanwhile Portuguese police have refused to reopen the case after British police revealed there were 195 new leads, despite Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood saying he ‘genuinely’ believes she could be alive.In addition, a former senior Met officer has said Maddie was ‘most likely abducted by a couple’ who ‘wanted her as part of a family’.Having spent a week on the Algarve, Ian Horrocks, is convinced a paedophile would have found many easier places to snatch a child.He also believes the original investigation was flawed because police were looking for a dead person and got it into their minds that the parents were to blame.Meanwhile the Met Police have issued a photofit of how Maddie might look today.

But then read the Comments, which include this one from Jon himself

Jon Clarke (Publisher) says:May 3, 2012 at 8:52 amHi karen, we would love to talk to you about this…we have now had at least half a dozen very good ‘sightings’ of maddie on the costa del sol…I really hope somebody can produce the killer fact!Give our newsdesk a call on 951166060Jon

So they have handed over the contact details, but don't have the contact details.That is about par for the course I think.

The killer fact. This is a very unfortunate choice of word. Or perhaps, designed to be so.

____________________“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.” ~ Joseph Stalin, 1897-1953"If Adolph Hitler flew in today, they'd send a limousine anyway." ~ Joe Strummer, 1952-2002

PM says:May 4, 2012 at 2:21 pmAmy. If you do see Madeleine you MUST play by the rules, and not report it until the next anniversary, or the launch of the next book. On no account must you stay close to the child, or speak to her, or speak to the people she is with, or look at her right eye, or note the registration number of the car they get into, or use your mobile phone to take a photo, or even to ring the police. The best thing to do is to walk away and wait until next spring, when you can have your 15 minutes of infamy.

Karen Sisson says:May 4, 2012 at 3:23 pmMay, you are so wrong on all counts, just because details of registration numbers etc are not published in the press does not mean they were not gathered,just because reports were not published in the press earlier does not mean they have not been reported to the police,several times. You know how the enquiry was run, sightings and evidence have not been acted on efficiently by the police which is why it is no further on 5 yrs down the line. No-one wants to get famous out of this they just want to know that their evidence has been taken into account and eliminated so they can move on. The Mccanns asked for anyone who knew anything to come forward again in case it had been missed.

Rickard says:May 4, 2012 at 3:55 pmPM – LOL!

june says:May 4, 2012 at 8:16 pmKaren Sisson, did you not read the article here where a lady spotted Madeleine and was 100% sure it was her, but she had guests over at Xmas and couldn’t get away for a whole week to report it. You are having a laugh. Last time I checked, people in costa del sol have both landlines and mobiles.

PM says:May 5, 2012 at 8:15 amKaren Sisson … The Mccanns asked for anyone who knew anything to come forward again in case it had been missed.” *** – - But when Martin Grime took the best trained blood and cadaverine detection dogs in the world, they dismissed them as “notoriously unreliable”. If your child had gone missing and a dog indicted blood and cadaverine in your house, would your reaction be simply to say it was impossible, or would you fold up with grief and dread at what it actually implied ? And when you were asked about “Sightings” of your child, would you grin and laugh, or would you be on the phone to the police in that place, even if you did not go yourself ? And would you actually search for your child, or spend the first evening deleting calls and messages from your mobile phone ? And so on.

I have just been made aware that not everyone can see the same comments.I posted one, which is number 11, about the changing of the name of the witness on the article of 25th April, and on my screen it still says "your comment is awaiting moderation". This after 2 days !

1 Karen Sisson says:May 3, 2012 at 7:25 amThis has made me gasp as I reported seeing a girl like Madeleine 3 days after it happened in 2007 with a family in Cabopino Campsite,nr Marbella they also had a dark blue people carrier. She too was with them but apart and distant,I reported it several times but don’t know if it was investigated thoroughlly. It too was a very haunting image as she was not interacting with the family and looked very sad.

2 Jon Clarke (Publisher) says:May 3, 2012 at 8:52 amHi karen, we would love to talk to you about this…we have now had at least half a dozen very good ‘sightings’ of maddie on the costa del sol…I really hope somebody can produce the killer fact!Give our newsdesk a call on 951166060Jon

3 John Harris says:May 3, 2012 at 8:52 amDear Portuguese police,Please re-open this case and followup the leads you disregarded 5 years ago.Maddy is probably living in some kind of a sub-basement where she is confined, doesn’t remember who she is and they’re probably keeping her drugged up on anti-depressants.Please find her alive and return her asap to her parents. Please.

4 adriana says:May 3, 2012 at 9:27 amI hope you will soon find

5 Amanda says:May 3, 2012 at 11:46 amThis sounds like it was madeleine mccann, and the portuguese police needs to search for a Madeline mccann hwho is alive! And they must do everything they can to find this girl and bring her home to her parents, that she very much need, becuase of this artickle i am shore she must be miserable, and she could be sick (mentaly ill) so i cant see why this couple is not returning her back to her real family,cause she must be unhappy.

6 SUSAN WALKER says:May 3, 2012 at 2:55 pmFor goodness sake why have all these clues not been chased up and investigated, this is a life we are talking about here, everything possible should be done to find this child and reunite her with her parents, I stayed in Portugal and I must say there were many gypsies in the area, that did make us feel a bit uncomfortable, can everyone today on the anniversary of her disappearence please please pray for her return, you cannot underestimate the power of prayer, just look at Patrice Muamba he is living proof of prayer

7 SUSAN WALKER says:May 3, 2012 at 3:00 pmplease can everyone at some point today on the anniversary of maddie mccanns disappearance prayer for her safe return , the more people that do this the better the chance of it happening just look at what the power of prayer did for Patric Muamba he has been described as a miracle

8 Gresham says:May 3, 2012 at 3:05 pmRemember to keep an eye open for Elvis.

9 PM says:May 3, 2012 at 3:38 pmSUSAN WALKER says: For goodness sake why have all these clues not been chased up and investigated,” and at the same time ask why all these people ALWAYS wait a year before telling anyone. There is a pattern emerging.

10 Rich says:May 3, 2012 at 3:56 pmWHY has the lady only JUST come forward now after “seeing her last summer”?

11 PM says:Your comment is awaiting moderation. May 3, 2012 at 4:01 pmIncidentally why have you now changed the name of the person from “Rosalie Bray” in the 25/4 piece to “Rose Johnson”, the same name yo are using in today’s piece. What are you doing ?

12 Andy says:May 3, 2012 at 7:18 pmShe was very stupid not to take a pic.

13 Ana says:May 3, 2012 at 7:45 pmWhen my son was about 6 I went to pick him up from a party in a ball park, he wasn’t there, and the host couldn’t remember when she last seen him, we immediately launched a search and within ten minutes found him playing under some balls. In those ten minutes my heart pounded like a hammer inside my rib cage, I felt an unbelievable pain, I don’t think I could of managed 20 minutes of that, and these people have lived that pain for 5 years. Yet people still like to be cruel to them.

14 lynda neary says:May 3, 2012 at 9:02 pmif it is maddie these witness had sightings off ,why would the people who took her let her be in a world of her own ,they went to the trouble of kidnapping her ,and if it is maddie draw attention the way they are supposed to be , it does not make sense .i just hope the next person to to get a sighting ,does more about it at the time ,

15 sinbad says:May 3, 2012 at 9:07 pmGresham you are a fool

16 stefanjo says:May 3, 2012 at 11:07 pmSinbad: Gresham, on this subject at least, is no dafter than all these would-be Sherlocks and Miss Marples. None of them have a clue, they just indulge in wild speculation. Get a life, for Gods sake.

17 june says:May 3, 2012 at 11:37 pmstefanjo indulging in speculation is surely not as hideous as spotting madeleine and taking years to come forward, duh, idiots, totally incredible, liars

18 Amy says:May 3, 2012 at 11:44 pmIt’s horrible that I used to live around this area where she has continuously been sighted and not think to look out for her.Going out to Nerja in June this year, so will be keeping an eye out with my camera at the ready.Hope we can find Madeleine xo

19 june says:May 4, 2012 at 2:18 amwhy has olive press deleted their article of 25 april where they mucked up the name of the witness here oh dear LOL its all screen shot

20 june says:May 4, 2012 at 2:28 amignore my last post, error

21 PM says:May 4, 2012 at 2:21 pmAmy. If you do see Madeleine you MUST play by the rules, and not report it until the next anniversary, or the launch of the next book. On no account must you stay close to the child, or speak to her, or speak to the people she is with, or look at her right eye, or note the registration number of the car they get into, or use your mobile phone to take a photo, or even to ring the police. The best thing to do is to walk away and wait until next spring, when you can have your 15 minutes of infamy.

22 Karen Sisson says:May 4, 2012 at 3:23 pmMay, you are so wrong on all counts, just because details of registration numbers etc are not published in the press does not mean they were not gathered,just because reports were not published in the press earlier does not mean they have not been reported to the police,several times. You know how the enquiry was run, sightings and evidence have not been acted on efficiently by the police which is why it is no further on 5 yrs down the line. No-one wants to get famous out of this they just want to know that their evidence has been taken into account and eliminated so they can move on. The Mccanns asked for anyone who knew anything to come forward again in case it had been missed.

23 Rickard says:May 4, 2012 at 3:55 pmPM – LOL!

24 june says:May 4, 2012 at 8:16 pmKaren Sisson, did you not read the article here where a lady spotted Madeleine and was 100% sure it was her, but she had guests over at Xmas and couldn’t get away for a whole week to report it. You are having a laugh. Last time I checked, people in costa del sol have both landlines and mobiles.

25 PM says:May 5, 2012 at 8:15 amKaren Sisson … The Mccanns asked for anyone who knew anything to come forward again in case it had been missed.” *** – - But when Martin Grime took the best trained blood and cadaverine detection dogs in the world, they dismissed them as “notoriously unreliable”. If your child had gone missing and a dog indicted blood and cadaverine in your house, would your reaction be simply to say it was impossible, or would you fold up with grief and dread at what it actually implied ? And when you were asked about “Sightings” of your child, would you grin and laugh, or would you be on the phone to the police in that place, even if you did not go yourself ? And would you actually search for your child, or spend the first evening deleting calls and messages from your mobile phone ? And so on.

The numbers by the comments do not copy, so I have added those.

Can anyone else read my No 11 entry ?If not, how are those comments numbered ?

21 PM says:May 4, 2012 at 2:21 pmAmy. If you do see Madeleine you MUST play by the rules, and not report it until the next anniversary, or the launch of the next book. On no account must you stay close to the child, or speak to her, or speak to the people she is with, or look at her right eye, or note the registration number of the car they get into, or use your mobile phone to take a photo, or even to ring the police. The best thing to do is to walk away and wait until next spring, when you can have your 15 minutes of infamy.

11 PM says:Your comment is awaiting moderation. May 3, 2012 at 4:01 pmIncidentally why have you now changed the name of the person from “Rosalie Bray” in the 25/4 piece to “Rose Johnson”, the same name yo are using in today’s piece. What are you doing ?

Eddie and Keela alerted to items and places concerned with the McCanns - and importantly to no other items or places.

According to Eddie and Keela, the body of Madeleine McCann lay lifeless behind the sofa in Apartment 5a, clinging to the only thing from which she could derive any comfort; a soft toy called 'Cuddle cat'.

Former Met Police Chief Lord Stevens:"There was no hard evidence because of the sheer inadequacy of the Portuguese investigation. There's absolutely no chance the parents of Madeleine McCann would be charged with her murder in this country. I've been a detective at the most senior level for 30 years and have never seen such a witch-hunt, or one based on such flimsy evidence."

Ch Insp Tavares de Almeida: "Kate and Gerald McCann are involved in the concealment of the cadaver of their daughter Madeleine McCann. From what has been established up to now, everything indicates that the McCann couple, in self-defence, doesn't want to deliver the cadaver immediately and voluntarily."

Kate's book 'madeleine', Page 219: "Did they really believe that a dog could smell the 'odour of death' three months later from a body that had been so swiftly removed?"

After forensic analysis of the 'Last Photo' there is little doubt now that the pool photo CANNOT POSSIBLY have been taken on the Thursday 3rd May, but most likely on the Sunday 29th April. So, where was Madeleine at lunchtime on Thursday? We don't know, but we can begin to "purport theories" based both on strong evidence, and lack of evidence.

Dr Gonçalo Amaral, retired PJ Coordinator: "The English can always present the conclusions to which they themselves arrived in 2007. Because they know, they have the evidence of what happened, they don't need to investigate anything. When MI5 opens their files, then we will know the truth."

Ex-Met DCI Colin Sutton: "The most likely scenario is that Madeleine was stolen to order by slave traders and smuggled into Africa for a rich family who wanted a white child."

Ex-Met DCI Andy Redwood had a "revelation moment" on BBC1's Crimewatch on 14th October 2013 when he announced that Operation Grange had eliminated the Tanner sighting - which opened up the 'window' of opportunity', in accordance with their remit, to allow the staged abduction to happen.

Tracey Kandohla: "A McCann pal told The Sun Online: "Some of the savings have been siphoned off from the Find Maddie Fund into a fixed asset account, which financial experts have advised them to do. It can be used for purchases like buying a house or building equipment."

Gerry McCann called for an example to be made of 'trolls'. SKY reporter Martin Brunt doorstepped Brenda Leyland on 2 October 2014 after a 'Dossier' was handed in to Police by McCann supporters. She was then found dead in a Leicester hotel room the next day. Brenda paid the price.